112. ‘Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra’ and The Story Behind Handel’s Messiah and Performing It for the Community to Benefit Charity (with Manager and President Connie Manwaring)

In this inspiring Christmas episode I sit down with Connie Manwaring, Manager and President of the Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra, to explore the remarkable story behind Handel’s Messiah and the powerful tradition of using music to bless and uplift others.

Connie shares the fascinating charitable history of Handel’s Messiah — including how its very first performances were created as benefit concerts that raised funds for the poor, freed debtors from prison, and supported vulnerable children. She also opens up about her own journey from growing up in East Germany to studying music around the world, serving as a missionary, and ultimately founding a nonprofit choir dedicated to continuing Handel’s legacy of compassion.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

🎵 The incredible backstory of Handel’s Messiah and why it remains one of the most beloved and meaningful works of all time
🎄 How the Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra uses its annual Messiah performances to support rotating charities, from refugee organizations to children in need
❤️ The healing, unifying power of choral music — and why singing together builds community, empathy, and spiritual strength
🙌 Why attending a Messiah performance (or even just hearing the Hallelujah Chorus!) can become a meaningful Christmas tradition for your family

Whether you’re passionate about service, fascinated by the history of sacred music, or simply looking for ways to bring more kindness and purpose into your holiday season, this conversation will fill you with gratitude, joy, and Christmas spirit.

✨ Listen now and discover how music, charity, and community can help us all “do something more” this holiday season.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra Website

Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra Instagram

Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra Facebook

Follow the podcast on social media:

Do Something More Instagram

Do Something More Facebook

Do Something More YouTube

Transcript

Melissa: Every once in a while, I meet someone in real life and immediately think they would be a fantastic guest for my podcast.

Well, my guest on this episode, Connie Manwaring, is one of those people,

not only because of the passion and energy she clearly has for the good work she does and her engaging personality,

but also for her knowledge and love of Handel's Messiah.

I met Connie because I joined her chorus to sing Handel's Messiah this year. And it was in one of those first practices when she was sharing the story behind the Messiah and the good charity work that it did,

that I thought, wow,

there are a lot more people out there who need to hear this story,

and Connie is the perfect person to share it.

Keep listening to learn all about Handel's Messiah and how Connie continues that same charity work today with her nonprofit,

the Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra. This episode will most definitely get you in the Christmas spirit.

Welcome to the Do Something More podcast, the show all about service where we highlight the helpers who inspire us all to do something more.

If you're passionate about nonprofits or looking for simple ways to volunteer and give back to the causes that matter to you,

this is the podcast for you.

I'm your host, Melissa Draper.

Stick around and I'll show you all the many ways anyone can truly make a difference in our world today.

Welcome to this episode of the Do Something More podcast. And today I wanted to explore and talk about a great holiday tradition that many of us have and that is listening to or singing Handel's Messiah.

And so I had the opportunity this year for the first time to join a group that is preparing to sing the entire Messiah at a concert.

And when I met my guest today for the first time and saw her exuberance and passion for leading us and being part of this cause, I just knew I needed to have her on the podcast.

So I want to welcome Connie Manwaring, who is the manager and president of the Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra. Connie, welcome to the podcast.

Connie: Welcome. Well, thank you for having me. It's so nice talking to you.

Melissa: I'm really looking forward to this conversation. So just start off by telling us a little bit about yourself.

Connie: So, my name is Connie Manwaring. As you said, I'm originally from Germany, and I was raised by wonderful parents in Freiberg, Saxony. That's in the former East Germany, actually behind the Iron Curtain.

Some people don't know that.

So my hometown is known for the world's oldest university of mining and technology that was founded in 1765,

and both of My parents actually had to do with mining.

My dad was in mining technology and my mother worked in the research sector analyzing chemical processes in refineries that are used there.

So I think most people know Freiberg because of the first temple, LDS temple that was ever built in a communist country.

And so that is also my hometown.

Were truly memorable times when that happened. I was right there in town.

I experienced the whole thing.

So anyway,

four years later,

there were these tremendous changes in society which I experienced too. That was the fall of the Berlin Wal in the aftermath.

So I saw regimes collapse and secret service members exposed,

friendships broken, people trying to find new footing.

It was a very rapidly changing world. It was pretty challenging for a lot of people. It was uncertain.

And that was a time when I actually attended the music college in Weimar. It's called Music College Franz List in Weimar, where I studied music.

Some of you listeners probably have heard of Weimar before Weimar Republic, right?

So they're famous people that lived here. They're like Goethe, the writers, Goethe, Schiller, but also the composer Franz Liszt. And Bach himself also lived in Weimar. But there are also people like Bauhaus movement is from Weimar.

So maybe people have heard of that. Anyway, so Weimar is one of my favorite places. I could talk about Weimar forever.

But that's really where my love for choir started in Weimar, because of all the ensembles I was part of before, I had sung in cathedral choirs, Bach's Christmas Oratorio.

But Weimar really embedded it in my heart, how, how lovely choir can be. So, and then I served a mission for the LDS Church in Yorkshire, England.

And part of that mission was also an amazing opportunity. A group of US missionaries, we taught the gospel principles through a 90 minute music fireside.

Melissa: Wow.

Connie: So I was the, I was the accompanist, I sat at the piano.

A bunch of other missionaries were a mini choir per se ensemble. And so we would travel through the mission and present that music fireside, similar to music in the spoken word, but a little bit, you know, a little longer.

And I still have very good connections with those people back then. So good memories. And then after that I moved here to Utah to get my master's at byu.

So I did a master's program in music medicine under Rosalie Pratt.

And so I studied the effect that music has on you and, well being,

on the healing process and on health in general.

So. But I have to tell you, choir was a big deal at BYU again.

And I never can live without choir. Choir has always been part of my life and so I was truly blessed at BYU to sing with Mac Wilberg. And I still have, you know, connections and friends that I text and call on the phone and old times.

So it's.

Melissa: Yeah, that's something we have in common. I sang with the women's chorus when I was there.

I agree with you. It's one of the greatest experiences I still look back on from my college experience.

Connie: And that's where I miss my husband then. Okay,

so we have lived here now. We have been in Spanish Fork for 10 years now, have two children,

but now we're empty nesters. They've all grown up. You know, that happens.

So ever since I've been in Utah, I've always been active, teaching piano. I have my own piano studio at home, singing in choirs and then, of course, playing the organ on Sunday.

Right.

Yeah, I've done that one, too.

Yeah. So that's. That's about me.

Melissa: That's great.

I.

So much experience and different things from your life experience.

And I want to get into how you started the Nibble Holiday course and why you felt. Or why you felt prompted to be involved with that.

But first, I wanted to get into the story behind Handel's Messiah itself. I don't think everyone is familiar with that story on how it itself was for benefit, for charity.

And since that is what we're all about on this podcast, I just. I wanted to explore that a little. So you shared some of that story at some of our practices, and that inspired me as we're preparing to sing it.

But what just in a nutshell, what's. What's some of the story you want to share there?

Connie: Nutshell? That is challenging.

Melissa: Yes, I know it is. That's a long, good story.

Connie: Campbell is a composer who was born in Germany, but he didn't live that long.

So his dad actually wanted him to study law and not music.

But then some beneficiaries to his family, they're like, no, no, no. The man knows how to play the organ. You need to have him do his music.

So Handel became one of the most prolific composers and writers we have, really, in music history. It's absolutely astonishing how much he put out during his lifetime.

And by the end of his life, he was a millionaire by today's standards. So he was really popular composer, just like Andrew Lloyd Webber or John Williams or Hans Zimmer.

Right. Who make their fortunes nowadays with writing movie scores.

Handel made his fortune writing Italian opera. That's where he excelled in. Okay. And he was fierce in his independence. He did not want to be bogged down by Any benefactor or anybody.

So he decided he is going to be his own man.

So he was his own businessman.

He did all the planning. Everything was done. He was the finance director, the contractor, the conductor, the composer. He was like one person business. I was absolutely astonishing how he did that, Right.

But because of that, he really was quite affluent and he donated a lot during his life trying to charitable causes,

which makes him really, really beloved by a lot of people.

Even, you know, in his.

At the end of his life,

a huge chunk of his money went to charity.

That. That was great. So anyway, he became famous with the opera, but in the 1730s, it chiseled a little bit, right?

And so his fame and opera came a little bit to a halt. It became too expensive to hire these musicians from Italy to come and perform for him. And.

And people wanted English stuff. They're like, hey, they're singing Italian. You know, we have no idea what they're doing.

We want British music,

we want English words, and we want something else. So that brought a huge halt to his career and made him struggle. And I think through that struggle and because of that struggle, we have Messiah.

And that is just. Doesn't that tell us a lot about, like, sometimes we have to go through trials to really produce the gems that,

you know, benefit so many. So, anyway,

yeah, Charles Jennings, he. He is the one who wrote the libretto of Messiah. So he.

He was a very devout Christian and a devotee of Handel's music. He basically followed him around like a little puppy, and he. He actually also copied his music. He was really obsessed with hand,

but they worked together. They really worked well together.

So he wrote the libretto and he thought,

well, here we have something. Maybe that will bring his fame back, right? That will help him change his style, try something new.

And it's not like that. Handel hadn't written oratorius before. He actually had written a bunch.

But Messiah is different because usually in oratorios, the soloists are the ones that shine and the choir is kind of in the background.

Messiah is entirely different.

The choir has so many numbers, and the choir propels everything forward in the composition.

And then the soloists, they give us the emotional impact of what's happening here and there. So Charles Jennings, he thought,

this is going to be a great declaration of faith.

This is going to be awesome to bring to the community. It's entirely different than Italian opera. And so Handel agreed to it. He had it sit on his shelf for about three years because he didn't really know what to do with the thing because it was so Different.

But then he decided, yes,

this is good. Let's try it out. So he composed Messiah,

and can you believe it? He only did it in a period of three weeks.

And actually in those. Within those three weeks, only six days.

Melissa: Wow.

Connie: So he said from morning to night and wrote this in August 1741.

But he was uncertain whether or not this could actually make money.

I mean, how do you present that? He ran into a lot of obstacles because he tried to work it in the theater, but then the theater people said, well, this is too religious.

That doesn't fit in a theater.

Then he tried to perform it in a cathedral or in churches. Right?

Now, what do the clergymen say? Well, this is way too worldly.

We can't have soloists that are in divorce proceedings perform here.

Some of your musicians are not, you know, morally clean to enter this church building.

So. So he had a lot of issues. And so finally, Handel decided, I'm going to take this to Dublin.

So why did he choose Dublin? And Dublin was actually a really fast growing and prosperous city in Europe at the time.

And the people in Dublin, they weren't quite as uptight as London.

They weren't in so many battles.

And so. So he took it to Dublin and debuted there on April 13 and 42.

Now, the cool thing about Dublin is that, first of all, it was entirely sold out.

It was packed to the rafters.

And he performed it in the new Music hall, which is kind of neutral territory, Right. It's not a theater per se. It's not a church.

So it was a good location.

Over 700 people attended. And it is a small space when you look at the picture.

And the ladies were not allowed to wear hoop skirts so they can squish more people in.

And it was really well received.

And what you probably want to get to was that all of this was a benefit performance,

so nobody really was paid.

Right.

It went to charity,

including the soloists. Everybody thought this is a great idea to do that.

And so he benefited. He had three different Dublin charities that benefited from that performance.

It resulted in 143 debtors being released from prison.

Melissa: Wow.

Connie: Which is an astonishing number. Right.

We don't know exactly how much they owed. But also later on,

that success that he had in Dublin quickly repeated in London.

And Handel told himself, well,

you know, this benefit benefit concert thing, that seems to work rather good,

so I'm going to repeat that.

And so he repeated that in London.

And his favorite charity was there, Captain Coram's New Foundling Hospital.

And it was actually for the education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children.

So basically it's a home or an orphanage. Right.

That kids could go to where you have to pay for their education, you have to pay for their housing,

heating,

food, you name it. Right.

And so every single year,

Handel continued to perform Messiah there as a benefit concert. He did that clear to his death all the way.

He was, I think, I believe he was 74 years old when he died.

He was really fond of his own work. And how often is it that composers are unhappy with that work?

But Handel actually loved what he had written,

so he performed it clear until he died. Matter of fact, a week before his death, he had a performance formed again. That was a big nutshell, wasn't it, Melissa?

Melissa: Yeah, no, it's such an inspiring story and you told it so well.

And I think it just adds so much depth and breadth to the whole experience of either listening to Messiah or performing Messiah.

When you see all of the experience,

the hard path he took to get to that point of writing it, and then the beauty of donating and the things that he wanted to do with that gift of music.

Connie: So.

Melissa: Yeah, very well said. And you continue that same tradition.

Connie: Yes.

Melissa: With your own Nebo Holiday Chorus, which I love too.

Connie: Exactly. We love that. We love that we have that same mantra,

that we are performing it as a benefit concert so anybody can come for free to our concerts. And then we hope that people are inspired to give to a charitable cause.

Melissa: And you usually have a different charity each year, right? That we do.

Connie: We have different charities each year.

And it has been such a blessing to really work with them because I get to meet them one on one, right? These people that had these charities.

So in the first year, we started it off with the latter day charities. That was in 2017 when we had our first performances.

And if you remember, back then, we had like hurricanes,

um, Harvey, Irma and Maria, just like these, this trio of of hurricanes just devastating the U.S.

i don't know if people remember that, but it was. Were terrible pictures on tv.

So we're like, yes, this is a worthy cause. So, so we started with that and, and then the following year we did a cure for Angelman Syndrome.

It's a foundation that researches this, this, this rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder that causes children to die rather too young, you know, way too young,

and it's causing all sorts of problems. Then we had charities like Sex Traffic Victims.

We collected for them. We did the Wounded Warrior project in 2022.

We had collections for people with disabilities with the park program. They're also located in Utah. Last year, we did breast cancer survivors with Lifting Hearts.

And this year, we are collecting children of incarcerated parents.

We're trying to make their Christmas a little bit happier because,

you know, they're troubled households when part of the family is missing.

And so, yeah, that is this year's charity.

Melissa: Yeah. You've covered a little bit of everything with some of those.

Connie: Yeah. And it's. It is really fun, fun to talk to people and how much their energy and their hearts are devoted to these good causes. And I love meeting with these people because their eyes sparkle and they're so energetic and they're so convinced, you know, of that cause being such a good thing.

And it is. It is.

And it's lovely to.

To be infected with that, you know, this energy and to be excited about how much goodness you can find in people.

Melissa: Absolutely. You just summed up why I keep doing this podcast.

Connie: It's very rewarding. It truly, truly is.

Melissa: So inspiring. Yep. Yes. And extremely rewarding.

How did this chorus originally get started? And what. What was the.

The mindset of wanting to start this regular performance, of performing the Messiah and donating to these charities?

Connie: So I was part.

So before I moved to Spanish Fork, I was part of a Messiah production up in American that was headed by Lois Stout.

She did that, oh, my goodness, for decades up at the tabernacle. And me and my girl, we were both in it. She was in the orchestra, I was in the choir,

and we just loved it so much every Christmas. And then,

of course, Lois retired. It no longer was here. We were in Spanish Fork, and that was this empty hole. What are we doing with our Christmas without music? Right. Without this perfect, perfect message at that time.

And in my ward, I had Cameron Kavanagh, who was with me in the same ward,

and he studied choral conducting at byu,

getting his master's. I'm like, man, how do you feel about this?

So I would love to start something down here. The reason is because the fine arts down here in the lower end of Utah county,

it's hard to come by, isn't it? We don't have a concert hall. We don't. So anything that is art related happens in the high schools,

Right?

Because we don't, you know, we don't have really a concert hall. We don't have a big cathedral.

So. So it is a bit lacking. So if you want to experience some classical music, you usually travel up north,

Right.

Melissa: To Provo.

Connie: To Provo or even Salt Lake. Right. Because,

I mean, you can't do everything either. There's so there is this constant flow of people traveling up north.

I was like, oh, wouldn't that be lovely if we can just have Messiah down here? And so Kim and I, we. We started this in summer 2017.

A little bit naive probably in some things,

but, you know,

the energy was there, the excitement was there,

the will to make it happen was there. And here it is.

We are still around and people still coming,

and we still enjoy doing it.

Melissa: And you can see that. I remember thinking that at one of those first practices I had, I was like, this woman is so passionate and excited. And I know this is not the first time she stood up there leading and conducting,

but it is. It's contagious. And I love. I just love being there in every session with you and learning that music together.

Yeah. Something that I've thought about the symbolism behind Handel's Messiah and then with the good that you're trying to do.

So it is typical music of broke era music,

and that's that no one voice carries the melody or the story,

that each of the voices in the choir or even the soloists all take their turn carrying and sharing that story and melody.

Connie: And.

Melissa: And I just love the symbolism with that behind the good that you're trying to do is, as you said, you know, you spearheaded this, but it definitely takes a team of people that have that vision of wanting to create it and move it forward.

Connie: I love the idea of unity.

I really, really do.

And bringing and having this together with all these people together.

You have to be unified in cause and music even more so. You have to be unified in rhythm.

You have to be unified in breathing.

Melissa: Yeah.

Connie: You have to be unified in getting your S's on the right count.

You have to be unified in so many things, which requires a great deal of patience,

a great deal of charity,

because you don't want to be mean to your neighbor who maybe has gotten the S on the wrong spot. Right.

So I know. So people like me who are.

Melissa: It's our first time doing the whole thing.

Connie: Right, Right. Right. So it's not just.

It's not just a charitable cause for me personally, it's not just a charitable cause to benefit another charity.

It also benefits the participants a great deal. It teaches me a lot about charity and being patient.

And we all can learn more about that, can we not?

And so it's. I love it. I love it. And Handel's music is just so prolific because he does this musical painting.

Right.

You can hear in the music when we are Running astray.

The music is literally running astray.

We can hear when, when we're singing about. He cast his burdens right upon him.

The music is heavy. We can hear the burden. We can hear the burden.

And on the Hallelujah chorus, how, how better? I mean, this is great writing, right. It's so full of joy and excitement and that's why it's so well known around the world.

Anybody can join in and sing that one because it makes you so excited about it. Right. And happy.

Melissa: Yeah. All around. It's an enriching experience.

Connie: Yes.

Melissa: So do you have any stories that you've heard of those either in your choir and orchestra or those that come to the concert of how it's affected them?

Connie: Yes, I have. I have heard many stories. People write letters to me.

I get letters from those that are participating. I also have gotten letters from audience members.

And also, of course, the charities that we feature,

they all write me. And there is a common consent that this is just a wonderful production that inspires people not just to be charitable towards others, but also to refocus their life and have a closer relationship with God.

Now, of course, I'm not going to share some of these very personal stories.

They have one thing in common. Usually there is a family tragedy involved.

People have maybe struggling with their faith.

They have to sacrifice a lot because they come to practice, leave family behind.

And then at the end of the day,

through the performances, through the words of scriptures, the word of God,

they find that footing again.

They find themselves again.

They, they find healing in their hearts. And I see that over and over in the letters that I receive.

One of my most favorite story is probably.

Oh, it's kind of hard to,

to, you know, decide what is my favorite.

I love it so much because the first two years we had this 97 year old man sing with us.

Melissa: Wow.

Connie: And he was not able to use music because he had a loss of vision. He had this entire Messiah score memorized.

Melissa: Oh my goodness.

Connie: And he was in the front row because he was rather short, you know, a little frail. And sometimes we worried for his well being. Is he going to be able to stand the whole time?

And he was confident he can do it.

And he sang with us two years and he was such an example because we also have young singers. Right. We have college kids and sometimes we have high school kids,

very young people. And it is, it's so lovely. Have that range of age and, and they're all sitting next to each other. Right. It's not sorted by age. It's just that all together in unity, which is lovely.

And then of course, he passed away,

which can be expected at that age. And I got this lovely letter from his daughter telling me how profound that was for his dad,

for her dad to, you know,

sing with us and be there on the stage with us and that it gave him such a great fulfillment. So that is one of my favorite stories.

And I kind of miss him a little bit sometimes. I'm looking, where is my little guy? Right?

My, my grandpa. Where is he?

Melissa: That's beautiful.

Well, there is a somewhat famous quote that Handel said after someone had congratulated him on the entertainment following that first London performance where he said,

I should be sorry if I only entertain them.

I wish to make them better.

Connie: Yes. And that is exactly what our goal is. You summed it up very well, Melissa. Thank you.

Melissa: Yes. I. I thought that quote sums up perfectly the good that you're trying to do as well.

Connie: Green. I think it made Handel better too.

He grew through his own trials and his own work and his own music.

Isn't that amazing how sometimes we look back and we're like, wow,

it has made me better, has made me a better person,

this work. And I totally can say with nhco, it has made me a better person.

Melissa: Yeah. Yeah. And to take all that growth and pay it forward through the good charities or the people that participate with you is really a blessing.

Connie: Yes.

Melissa: Well, Connie, this has been a great conversation. Thank you so much for being willing to come on.

Do you want to just end by saying where people can find you on social media or even when our concerts are this year, I'll leave links to everything, but I'll let you share it here as well.

Connie: So. Yes. So our website is NHCO Events,

so you can find all the information you need on the concerts. But we're going to perform December 20th and December 22nd at Maple Mountain High School.

The concerts start at 7:30.

So our Saturday performance will be for ages 8 and up. Because it's longer, it has an intermission.

So we won't be done until roughly 10pm and our Monday performance,

that is our family friendly performance and we want everybody to come. We love having family, we love having all the young kids there.

And that one is much shorter. But you get your Hallelujah Chorus fix right for the holidays.

And we love that when we see entire families come and join us now. You can also find us on Facebook book and get that same information there.

Melissa: That's great. Yes. And I love that idea of a family friendly performance.

So even those young kids can be introduced to the beauty of the Messiah.

Well, I'll leave links to all of those and just want to say thank you again for all that I've benefited so far from learning from you and in our chorus, and also for all the good work that you do.

Connie: Well, thank you so much for having me.

Melissa: That concludes my interview with Connie Manwaring, the manager and President of Nebo Holiday Chorus.

And isn't she great? Wasn't that interview great? I love her.

I loved learning more about Handel's Messiah and the good message she shared that it brings of God's grace and love during this Christmas and holiday season.

So I hope that if you live near me we might have piqued your interest in this podcast episode to come and hear our performance of Handel's Messiah the Saturday and Monday before Christmas.

But I know I have many listeners all over the place and Handel's Messiah is arguably the most performed piece of music in the world. It's one of the most well known and there are many performances that take place all over the world at this time of year.

So I would encourage you to go find a Messiah performance or even just go find a choir that is planning to perform the Hallelujah Chorus.

I love how she shared Everyone needs their Hallelujah Chorus fix during the Christmas season. So go find one of those organizations performing this, support them in your own community.

And it's a great holiday tradition and I think it brings so much more meaning now that we all know the good story behind it as well.

And if you enjoyed this episode and loved the things that you learned from Connie, please share this episode with a neighbor or a friend.

And I will always take five star ratings or reviews on Apple podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to this podcast.

And of course this week and during the Christmas season,

I hope that you can find a way to do something more to help lift, inspire or make a difference.